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<h1><a href="https://archiveofourown.org/works/26706853">Burning of a Supernova</a> by <a class='authorlink' href='https://archiveofourown.org/users/TheSilverPhoenix/pseuds/TheSilverPhoenix'>TheSilverPhoenix</a></h1>

<table class="full">

<tr><td><b>Series:</b></td><td>The Stars Above [4]</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Category:</b></td><td>Hetalia: Axis Powers</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Genre:</b></td><td>Cardverse, Dancing, Engagement, F/F, Family Issues, Fluff, Marriage Proposal, Nyotalia</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Language:</b></td><td>English</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Status:</b></td><td>Completed</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Published:</b></td><td>2020-09-29</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Updated:</b></td><td>2020-09-29</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Packaged:</b></td><td>2021-05-06 06:27:55</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Rating:</b></td><td>Teen And Up Audiences</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Warnings:</b></td><td>No Archive Warnings Apply</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Chapters:</b></td><td>1</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Words:</b></td><td>3,042</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Publisher:</b></td><td>archiveofourown.org</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Story URL:</b></td><td>https://archiveofourown.org/works/26706853</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Author URL:</b></td><td>https://archiveofourown.org/users/TheSilverPhoenix/pseuds/TheSilverPhoenix</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Summary:</b></td><td><div class="userstuff">
              <p>Alice Kirkland, Princess of Spades, is turning twenty-one, but that isn't the only exciting thing that happens at the celebration.</p>
            </div></td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Relationships:</b></td><td>America/England (Hetalia)</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Series:</b></td><td>The Stars Above [4]</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Series URL:</b></td><td>https://archiveofourown.org/series/1899790</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Comments:</b></td><td>1</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Kudos:</b></td><td>24</td></tr>

</table>

<a name="section0001"><h2>Burning of a Supernova</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>The party was one of the grandest the Kingdom of Spades had seen in a while and people of the highest nobility, dressed in some of their finest clothing, had flooded the halls of the Spadian Winter Palace to celebrate the rare, auspicious occasion. Delicate, flowing music had filled the air, even before the dancing had begun, and it had only quieted when food had been served and mingling had replaced it.</p><p>No expense had been spared for Princess Alice’s twenty-first birthday.</p><p>Though if the Princess was enjoying it was another matter entirely.</p><p>Amelia prided herself on being able to tell the difference between the false, courteous smile Alice normally put on when she was underneath the public eye and the genuine, warming smile that she’d reserved for a rare select few. Now, however, she was the stoic, pristine Princess that most people expected by now - smiling just enough to be polite to those who had come to greet and socialized with her.</p><p>She thought of rescuing her poor, dearly beloved from the endless, idle chatter of the tittering nobles surrounding her, who were practically tripping over themselves in hopes of gaining some sort of favor with their future queen, but she thought better of it. Only because it was a little amusing to watch Alice try not to lose control of her calm exterior and eviscerate anyone with too loose of a tongue. Maybe she was enjoying it just a bit too much.</p><p>At least she had the luxury of hiding along one of the far walls of the giant ballroom, out of sight of the crowd that had joined them for the celebration. Practically no one had approached her or tried to mingle with her, probably because she’d gained a reputation of being rather blunt about that sort of thing, but also because most of the people milling about didn’t consider her worthy of speaking to. Most of them still saw the raggedy orphan, unfortunately. Fortunately, however, their opinions hardly mattered.</p><p>“I didn’t expect you, of all people, to be pining from afar,” a familiar voice teased, snapping her attention away from Alice. A brief flash of dread went through her as she turned towards the person who’d called her out, afraid of an air-headed courtier who would spread gossip throughout the kingdom with frightening speed, but instead found the smirking face of one of her oldest friends. And Spades’ closest ally.</p><p>“You’re the one to talk,” she shot back, taking a drink out of her wine glass and eyeing Francine over its lip. The wine slid down her throat smoothly and warmed her chest with a satisfying buzz. The other woman - King Francine Bonnefoy of Diamonds - was dressed in the elaborate, flashy style of Diamonds, with a golden crown place precariously on top of the pristine curls and a wine glass of her own in her hands. Amelia had known Francine for what felt like forever - they’d all grown up together, spent time together, learned together. It had been a ground shattering reality check when Francine has assumed the Diamonds’ throne a couple of years beforehand. Amelia’s own duty had become quite real in the wake of all that.</p><p>“Ah, yes, well, your sister is quite a different challenge,” the other woman said with a sigh. A slightly whimsical look flashed in her eyes before snapping back to Alice, who stood a couple of yards away still greeting people.</p><p>“Mattie is too shy to think anyone would be interested in her, much less you.”</p><p>“Yet, she wields a weapon without much hesitation,” Francine pointed out, taking a sip of her wine.</p><p>Amelia knew she was right. Madeline had practically trained non-stop since they’d been brought to the palace. An Ace’s training was nothing similar to a King’s or Queen’s or Jack’s, which focused more on books and politics and high society. Instead, an Ace studied combat, weapons, and strategy. Ace’s were forged into protectors, on and off the battlefield, and, even though Madeline was shy and unassuming in a normal or formal setting, eleven years of such intense training had left her confident and completely terrifying when it came to combat. Amelia should know, she’d sparred with her before.</p><p>“So, changing the topic entirely, what’s going on with you?” Amelia finally asked, breaking herself out of the line of thought she’d gotten stuck in. “Anything new about the negotiations with Hearts?”</p><p>Francine gave a tired sigh and swirled her wine glass. “Nothing much, I’m afraid. They are still causing quite a commotion about the Hessland, but I believe we are close to sorting it out.”</p><p>“Oh?” Amelia’s interest in the conversation peaked the more Francine spoke about the ongoing talks with Hearts about the Hessland. Once a part of the Kingdom of Hearts, the Hessland was a large stretch of fertile farmland along the Spadian-Hearts border. Hearts had ceded the land to Spades after they’d lost the last Hoylian War and they’d been wanting it back ever since. “And how is that going? They have a new King and Queen, don’t they?”</p><p>“They are doing well, though I do fear they will fail in their efforts. If their predecessors had asked, your King and Queen might have complied, but King Monica and Queen Sakura are too young and inexperienced to be making such demands so soon after their coronation. They haven’t offered anything in return and they lack the reputation their predecessors had. Most monarchies do not take well to strangers demanding things of them.”</p><p>The news was kind of disappointing to hear, but not surprising in the least. For the short time she’d known Monica Beilschmidt and Sakura Honda, the pair had come off as determined, forthright rulers, who would not hesitate to work and negotiate their way to whatever they believed would better their nation. Amelia supposed she respected that way of thinking, regardless of how it was working out for them. What worried her was how the pair would take the rejection. They didn’t seem the type to take such a thing very well.</p><p>
  <span>“Anyway, I did not come to talk politics,” Francine finally said, her voice lowering to a whisper and a mischievous glint in her eyes. Never a good sign. “Instead, I came to ask whether or not you were going to ask her tonight?”</span>
</p><p>Oh. Right. <em> That </em>.</p><p>She had certainly planned on doing that tonight, but now that the party had started and the time had come she found herself avoiding it thanks to the butterflies fluttering in her stomach. The only reason Francine knew about it was because she had needed the other woman’s advice. Amelia hadn’t even told her own sister what she’d been planning. </p><p>Now, the small box in her pocket felt far heavier than it had before.</p><p>“I don’t know…”</p><p>The answer made Francine give her a heavy, disappointed sigh. “My dear, if you don’t propose soon, I might do it <em> for </em> you. You too have been courting for well over two years now and I don’t think I’ve seen either of you happier.”</p><p>“I’ve never felt happier,” Amelia jumped in, knowing immediately it was the truth, “or more content. I’m just...nervous, I guess. I’m afraid if I try to push things, then our relationship will break, ya know?”</p><p>“It is completely normal to feel that way, Amelia,” Francine assured her with a small smile. Somehow, the words soothed her, if only a bit, “but the important thing is that you love each other. As long as you have that, everything else will fall into place.” Francine’s eyes flitted towards Alice and a small frown tugged on her lips. “It seems like the time may be sooner, rather than later.”</p><p>Amelia’s attention shifted from Francine towards Alice, and she knew immediately something was wrong. Instead of the stiff, regal posture Alice normally adopted during these types of events, her entire person was rigid and tense. And the reason was standing directly in front of Alice.</p><p>Lord and Lady Kirkland - Alice’s parents - had, indeed, been invited to the Princess’ birthday party, but it had been more of an invitation of courtesy rather than affection. They’d received similar invitations in the past and had, for the most part, declined to attend. The reason, according to Alice, being that they hated her guts. Amelia had only ever seen them in passing because they’d never actually dared to approach their daughter out of spite.</p><p>It seemed like they’d suddenly had a change of heart.</p><p>“Go,” Francine said hurriedly, grasping the severity of the situation. Amelia practically shoved her wine glass into Francine’s waiting hand and rushed off to save her lover.</p><p>She closed the gap as quickly, and as calmly, as she could, trying not to let the worry or panic show on her face. This was a big night for Alice, for both of them if Amelia worked up the courage to propose, and she was not going to let them spoil the entire mood of the evening.</p><p>As Amelia approached, Alice’s back to her, she could hear the scathing words of the conversation.</p><p>“-think that you can just walk in here -”</p><p>“Don’t act like that, girl, we were invited -”</p><p>“An invitation I would be happy to rescind -”</p><p>“How very childish of you. I thought we’d raised you better -”</p><p>“Raised me? How dare you -”</p><p>“Alice!” Amelia called, trying to break up a conversation sure to spiral into disaster. She put on a brilliant, hopefully distracting, smile and placed a reassuring hand on the small of her back. If Alice had to deal with her parents then Amelia would be there with her. Together, like always. “I’ve been looking for you everywhere, darling.”</p><p>Tension drained from Alice’s shoulders until she almost looked completely relaxed, which made Amelia feel better about the situation. Now she just needed to get Alice out.</p><p>“Ah, Miss Jones, it is a pleasure to meet you,” Lord Kirkland spoke up for the first time. Amelia could feel her blood boil at the blatant lack of respect. Though there was a good chunk of nobles and courtiers who didn’t approve of an ex-street orphan being King, they were still a vast and silent minority, most of which didn’t dare make their opinions publicly known. Until now. She supposed Alice’s parents felt like they had more leeway than they actually did.</p><p>“My title is ‘Your Highness’, Lord Kirkland,” Amelia corrected coolly, with more force than was probably necessary, “and you will address me as such.”</p><p>Though the order didn’t seem phase Lord Kirkland, it did put a small smile on Alice’s face, which was all that mattered in the end. Making Alice happy. Maybe it really was time to ask her.</p><p>“Anyways, I wanted to ask you for a dance?” Amelia offered her arm and ignored the indignant huff from Lady Kirkland at being ignored. “The orchestra is set to play a waltz soon, and I know it’s your favorite.”</p><p>“I would love to,” she answered, slipping her arm into Amelia’s.</p><p>“Excuse me, this conversation is not -”</p><p>“Yes,” Alice snapped back, pinning her father down with a scowl. “It is. Now, I would like to spend the rest of my birthday in the presence of a more civilized company. Approach me again for the rest of the night and I will have you removed.”</p><p>With Alice’s final words, the couple walked away from Lord and Lady Kirkland, who both looked as if they were about to have strokes on the spot. Amelia tried her best to not start cackling, but she couldn’t help the broad smile on her face.</p><p>Amelia didn’t break the silence between them until they made their way to the dance floor and, conveniently enough, the orchestra began to play a waltz.</p><p>“Are you alright?” she whispered lowly to Alice as they fell into the rhythm of the piece, wary of the listening ears around them.</p><p>Alice gave her a long sigh and a weary smile. Her eyes glittered in the bright candlelight of the room and Amelia knew she’d said it a million times before, but no one could ever hope to compare to Alice. In wit, in skill, in beauty. None could even come close. “Yes, love, I’m fine. I just...the nerve of them. Showing up here, after all this time, and demanding things from me like I owe them a great debt...It’s appalling. I do applaud you on your timing, though.”</p><p>“I’m happy to play hero for you, sweetheart,” she chuckled, holding Alice’s hand in her own as they twirled and stepped in time with the music. “Anytime you need me, I’ll be there.”</p><p>“Is that a promise, Amelia Jones?”</p><p>“Absolutely.”</p><p>As the dance continued, Amelia could feel the weight of the tiny box in her pocket again. And the more she and Alice danced, the more she felt the urge to pull it out. Francine was right, as long as they loved each other, everything would be alright.</p><p>Gradually, the song came to an end and the royal couple came to a slow stop. Amelia watched another smile grow on Alice’s face, a genuine one with warmth and happiness and just a tiny flicker of wild, carefree emotions. The confrontation with Alice’s parents hadn’t ruined the evening, it seemed.</p><p>Alice sunk into a short, formal curtsey to end the dance and Amelia dipped into her own bow. When she came out of it, her eye caught Francine’s, who gave her an insistent, knowing look and discreetly gestured towards the large set of open double doors that lead out to the palace gardens.</p><p>They had always been one of Alice’s favorite places of refuge, because the royals occupied the Winter Palace until the end of spring, before returning to the capital, and the flowers in the garden would bloom and fill the space with a vibrant array of shapes and colors. It was quite a sight to behold when spring was at its height, as it was now.</p><p>“Come take a walk with me?” Amelia blurted out before she could think to say anything different. It came off as more of a demand than a request and she cringed slightly.</p><p>Alice’s eyes narrowed suspiciously, but she took the offered arm anyway and allowed Amelia to lead her out into the gardens.</p><p>Amelia had no plan once they’d made it out to the gardens. She had no plans in general. The nerves had completely fried her brain each time she’d tried to plan anything out. She had only taken the ring with her to the party on a whim and had grabbed it at the last second.</p><p>But now that she and Alice were along in the gardens, surrounded by the soft, luminescent light of the fairy lights above, she couldn’t just not.</p><p>Amelia made sure to guide them towards the center of the gardens, away from the prying eyes and ears of the party, before coming to a stop. The center of the gardens was, perhaps, the most romantic place Amelia could’ve chosen and she only really had Francine to thank. In the daytime, the sunlight would filter through the leaves of the short hedges and glisten against the pool of water framing the large, marble fountain. At night, the fairy lights bobbed in mid-air, twinkling like the stars above them, and the full moon bathed the scene in soft, silvery light.</p><p>“What are you up to?” Alice finally asked after several moments of long, stretching silence.</p><p>“Ummm, nothing?” was all she could answer before laughing awkwardly. Amelia fiddled with one of the cords on her outfit, trying to occupy herself and not think about the box in her pocket. She didn’t need to do it now, right? She could always do it later when she was more prepared and ready and -</p><p>“Is there something wrong?” Alice asked worriedly. The other woman stepped closer to Amelia and took her hand into her own. When she didn’t answer, Alice continued her interrogation. “Do you not feel well? Does it have something to do with my parents?”</p><p>“No!” Amelia yelped, much louder than she intended. She swallowed and took a deep breath to calm her pounding heart. “No. I just...am nervous.”</p><p>“Nervous? Nervous about what?”</p><p>Amelia focused back on Alice - beautiful, wonderful, amazing Alice who always pushed her to be better and to try her hardest, and to be more confident in herself and her abilities. If the Divines had chosen anyone else, Amelia was sure she would’ve been set up for failure. She couldn’t possibly imagine going through this journey without her.</p><p>“Alice,” Amelia started, squeezing Alice’s hands in her own as a rush of confidence and determination rushed into her, “we’ve known each other for a long time and, to be honest, I can’t remember much about the life I had before I met you. To be honest, I don’t know if I want to. You’ve always been there and I’ve always trusted you, as my best friend and as a lover. And while I know that our futures are already tied together, I want to share much more than a crown with you. I want to share a life. I love you and I can’t imagine not having you by my side - in every possible way.” Alice’s eyes were glistening brilliantly with unshed tears in the low light and she had a small smile on her face. Amelia released one of her hands to reach into her pocket and pull out the small, wooden box that she’d been hiding for months. “So, Alice Kirkland, I was wondering,” Amelia flipped open the lid to the box, revealing a silver ring - engraved with an intricate design and embellished with shining blue sapphires - nestled snugly into plush, dark blue velvet, “will you marry me?”</p><p>There was a moment, a single, painful moment, where Alice said nothing. Amelia had almost begun to think she’d done something horribly wrong. That maybe it had been the wrong time to ask or that she shouldn’t have asked at all. But then, a wide, breathtaking smile spread onto Alice’s face and Amelia knew she’d made the right decision.</p><p>“Oh, Amelia,” Alice said, her voice no more than a loving whisper. “My dear Amelia, of course, I’ll marry you.”</p>
  </div><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_foot_notes"><b>Author's Note:</b><blockquote class="userstuff"><p>Our two lovebirds are finally engaged! Hooray! That being said, this was the last one-shot I had planned before the main story, so stay tuned! I'm going to take a little break from this series to (hopefully) do Hetaween, but then I want to start working on the main story right after (assuming life doesn't get in the way). Anyways, I hope you all enjoyed!</p><p>Find me on <a href="https://silverphoenixwrites.tumblr.com/">Tumblr</a>, <a href="https://twitter.com/sil_phoenix">Twitter</a>, and <a href="https://www.pillowfort.io/silverphoenix">Pillowfort</a>!</p></blockquote></div></div>
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